


and if we're meant to, i'll meet you there

by manchestereye (orphan_account)



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Friends to Lovers, Gay, Gay Dan Howell, Gay Phil Lester, M/M, Trans Male Character, dnp are both teachers just bc, everyone other than dan and phil make a brief appearance tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-30 23:41:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20105554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/manchestereye
Summary: the five times dan and phil meet unexpectedly and the one time they don't





	and if we're meant to, i'll meet you there

**Author's Note:**

  * For [icosmics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/icosmics/gifts).

> yeah ok i'm working on a big project and this is like the third draft of that project that i found the motivation to finish, even though it's shit and short.
> 
> title from meet you there by 5sos
> 
> icosmics if ur reading this i love u bitchhhh i ain't ever gonna stop loving u bitchhhh

  1. ** meeting on the bus**

sometimes dan howell likes riding the bus going home. this is not one of those times.

there’s a man on the bus a few seats down from him, screaming at whoever is on the line. it’s not the first time he’s had to deal with it, the bus has been loud before.

but it’s not a good time, and he just really want a nap before he gets home. today was a long day of lab preparations and disobedient freshmen.

“why are you so upset about this? you know that teaching is hard work.” the man sighs.

dan’s also a teacher, he gets how frustrating it can be. he’s curious about it now

there’s a silence as phil listens to the person on the other end. “well maybe i should’ve just applied for another career if you’re going to be so fucking irritating about this one!”

dan feels sorry for the poor soul.

when the man hangs up, he looks dan in the eye and says sorry for bothering him.

“i’ll be fine. i can take a nap later.” dan says.

“i still kinda feel bad.”

“no worries. you wanna talk about it? i’m dan, fyi.”

“phil. just a boyfriend who doesn’t like my job because i’m so busy with grading and lesson prep. teaching three classes of english is hard to deal with. i’m gay by the way.”

“me too, mate.” dan laughs.

_ “it’s nice to know there’s other queer people here in this town. especially a fellow teacher.”  _ he thinks.

“i remember when my ex wasn’t too keen on me teaching art and drama. dumped him before it got serious though.” he finishes.

phil’s frowning now. “i wish it were that simple. we’ve been bickering for years and we’d separate already if it weren’t for my daughter.”

dan changes the subject to phil’s daughter now, and soon enough he’s talking about how proud he is of her.

the bus comes to a halt, and phil gets up.

“i’ll see you around dan. have a good evening. thanks for cheering me up.”

dan awkwardly says “you too,” and stares out the window for the rest of his bus ride.

he’ll admit that phil was cute, but it’s not gonna happen anytime soon. he doubts he’ll even see him again.

dan pouts about it and complains to his roommate dodie. she laughs at him and tells him that there’s always going to be other boys. which, okay, she’s not wrong because dan will literally flirt with any cute boy he sees, but there’s just something special about phil.

  1. ** parent-teacher conferences**

parent teacher conferences are the second most stressful thing in a teacher’s life, next to finals. it’s 5:30, dan has to be there for another hour facing the wrath of angry parents whose kids are failing his class. he just had to sit there and tell them that he’s not responsible for how the kid’s work ethics are, and that they get the grade they earned.

students that actually try know how easy biology is compared to other sciences. dan can tell which students are trying but failing, and students that are not even trying at all. he’ll usually give the support that students need for them to get a decent grade in the class, because he’s not a monster.

he feels like one whenever another parent chews him a new asshole and he legally can’t do anything about it. parents are strange, he decides.

dan keeps staring at his classroom door, bracing himself for whatever parent he’s going to find next. he’s faced with a pleasant surprise when he sees that it’s phil from the bus stop.

“hey! what are you doing here?” phil asks, smiling.

“just about to ask you the same thing, haha. i teach biology.”

“my daughter goes to this school, because it’s closer to our neighborhood than where i teach.” phil answers.

“i’m guessing i have her as a student? what’s the last name?” dan asks.

“lester.”

dan beams. mr. lester’s kid cameron is a wonderful student in class.

cameron warned dan that he isn’t out to his parents yet, so dan’s going to have to adjust temporarily. he pulls cameron’s file out of the cabinet, and quickly opens it to read the name because  _ of course  _ dan will forget the name that he’s supposed to use while talking to parents.

“alana,” dan tries hard not to make a face. he’s so used to calling him cameron that it feels weird calling him by his birth name. “is doing really great in my class! she enjoys biology a lot, and i’ve even recommended her for honors next year.”

calling him by she and her feels even weirder.

_ “it’s fine, you can do this. pretend it’s not phil or any other parent.”  _

“i’m so proud of her! she’s loved science ever since she was little, and i’ve definitely told you that already. it’s nice to finally meet the teacher she looks up to.” phil laughs.

dan smiles. cameron’s definitely one of his favorite students.

“i’ll let you get back to your work, what a small world we live in!” phil says as he stands up and heads for the exit.

dan takes a sigh of relief when phil leaves the room. good thing the school year’s almost over and that he won’t have to run into him again, or have to deal with another awkward conference.

he still pouts because he doesn’t think he’s gonna see phil anymore.

there’s still another twenty minutes before he can leave, so he puts the file away and braces himself for another angry mother walking into the classroom.

**iii. the bar**

dan gets dragged out to a bar on the last day of school by dodie and some of her other friends, as a way of celebrating his hard work for the year.

pj, chris, jack, dean, hazel, and dodie are all plastered, but dan isn’t. sure, he’s had a few drinks, but he’s only slightly buzzed because of his tall frame and mildly chubby body. the drinks haven’t really kicked in either.

after he’s downed his fourth drink of the night, that’s when phil lester walks into the bar.

dodie sees him immediately and give him a hug before going back to the dance floor with the rest of the gang.

“fancy seeing you here.” phil says, when he approaches dan.

“wasn’t expecting you to be here, mr. english teacher.” dan slurs.

phil laughs at him. “you’re also a teacher.”

“yeah, i guess. didn’t know you’re friends with dodie.” dan starts of phrasing it as a statement, but it turns into a question.

“she was my roommate at uni!”

“what a small fucking world we live in. i’m her roommate now.” 

“yeah!” 

phil gets a drink of his own.

“wanna dance with me?” dan asks.

“i can’t dance at all.”

“doesn’t bother me if it doesn’t bother you.”

they’re dancing together, albeit awkwardly and stumbling on their feet. dan thinks they’re both too tall and too clumsy to be dancing together.

by now, the alcohol is really kicking in now.

“did you know that my kid is trans?”

dan snorts. “perfect timing to bring it up! but yes i did! i’m fine with it!” 

he’s being unintentionally loud, and phil winces at the sudden volume.

“just wanted to ask so that i’m not friends with a transphobe!” phil matches his volume as a way of making fun with dan.

“you raised an intelligent kid.” 

dan and phil aren’t dancing anymore, just talking to each other about little things and finding common interests. dan finds out that phil likes muse and pokemon, and that he used to have an emo fringe that he kept for ten years.

“i’d make fun of you for that fringe, but before i stopped killing my hair with straighteners i did the same thing.” dan laughs.

at the end of the night, phil kisses him and thanks him for the wonderful time.

dan asks about his boyfriend, and phil says that he broke up with him sometime after he met him. he takes comfort in knowing that he’s not a homewrecker. he also takes comfort in knowing that phil isn’t a cheater either.

unfortunately, they were so caught up that they never asked for the each other’s number and dan thinks it’s just not meant to be. he would ask dodie, but it just feels like it would be rude and invasive. 

dan doesn’t understand why his luck is shitty, and why he can’t find someone to be with yet. 

_ “it’s probably just the alcohol talking. go the fuck to sleep, dan. you’re perfectly fine on your own.” _

  1. ** house party**

dodie’s hosting another house party, because she’s celebrating a new record deal after four years of making music. it’s a good record deal too, even if it’s a smaller label. she was approached by big companies years ago, but the terms were always too shady.

the house party’s not that huge, it was meant for close friends only. but it still surprised dan to see phil at the front door when the doorbell rings. the rest of the people are all entangled in a game of twister, to which dan had already lost.

“hi! hope i’m not too late.” phil smiles.

“of course not. come in.” he steps aside to let phil in.

they’re close together throughout the evening, and it’s like they never really separated from the last time. dan feels like he’s in love.

he’s never really experienced love. he’s definitely had both boyfriends and girlfriends before he realized he’s gay, but none of them have ever really felt special. despite having met for a total of three (now four) times, he thinks phil is special.

they talk a lot, but there’s also times that they’re not talking at all, enjoying each other’s company.

“i realized about two days after the bar that we never exchanged numbers.” phil says.

“can’t believe it took you that long, wow.” dan responds.

“imagine if i wasn’t an idiot and we did exchange numbers. we could’ve spent the summer together. even cameron started noticing how sad i was! although he made a face when he found out that it was you.” phil laughs.

“you could’ve asked dodie.” dan suggests.

“dan, you live with her! why didn’t you?”

he shrugs at that. 

phil puts a hand on dan’s cheek. 

“may i kiss you?”

dan nods.

phil kisses him. it was definitely one of the best kisses dan’s ever had.

they actually exchange numbers this time, and although dan is sad to see phil go home that night, he feels at ease knowing that it’s not going to take months before they see or talk to each other.

  1. ** coffee shop**

they’ve already planned their first date, exactly a week after the house party. 

of course dan will see phil when he least expects it though.

“mr. howell!”

dan turns around to see cameron and his father on the other side of the coffee shop.

he smiles and gives a wave to them.

dan orders his coffee and goes to give a proper hello to phil and cameron.

“hi guys!”

“dan! come sit with us!” phil says, moving over a seat so that dan wouldn’t have to awkwardly move past.

he doesn’t really have anything to do today, so he sits down with them and they talk for a little bit. dan asks cameron how his summer’s been going and he tells him that it’s been going well.

phil excuses himself to go to the bathroom and now it’s just him and cameron.

“do you like my dad, mr. howell?” 

dan blushes at that. “yeah, i do.”

“that’s good. don’t break his heart and all that.” cameron laughs.

“don’t you find this a little bit strange and weird? i was your teacher.” dan points out.

“my dad’s a teacher, and honestly, no.” 

when phil gets back, they enjoy chatting for a little bit, and when dan and phil link their hands under the table, cameron doesn’t say anything.

**+1 wedding**

“i’m nervous.” phil says.

“dad, calm down. it’s dan. y’all have been together for what, six years now?” cameron says, applying makeup on him.

“i can’t help it!” phil pouts.

“you’re going to be just fine, dad.”

-

“do you take daniel howell to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“i do.”

“do you take philip lester to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“hell yeah i do.”

_ fin. _

**Author's Note:**

> thanks lmao
> 
> if there are typos yell at me in the comments
> 
> tumblr: fearoftryinq


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